He mentioned that during the recent Animas River Days celebration there were four events featuring paddleboards.

Trey Knight, education and outreach coordinator at the American Canoe Association, said stand-up paddleboarding went mainstream in the U.S. about six years ago.

The association has been certifying instructors for about 2˝ years, Knight said. The association, which was founded in 1880, has 5,600 certified instructors in canoeing, kayaking, rafting, paddleboarding and swift-water rescue.

If a novice is intimidated by the thought of getting on the water, Foutz starts the student on a paddleboard resting on a pair of bosu balls (a half-sphere used to learn balance).

“It’s the same sensation as being on the water,” Foutz said. “When students feel comfortable they can progress to a body of flat water such as Turtle Lake.”

Foutz spent her formative years in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a California beach community in northern San Diego County, where she learned to surf.

“There were tons of surfing races there,” Foutz said. “Now there’s paddleboard races up and down the coast.”

Foutz began a 22-year career in fitness training at age 16 when she taught aerobics at the YMCA in Encinitas, Calif. She later trained fitness instructors for several months in the Cayman Islands.

Paddleboarding is growing worldwide, Foutz said.

“There is wide interest because anyone can do it,” Foutz said. “Little kids and people in their 70s are doing it.”

Paddling or exercising on a board is a full-body workout, Foutz said. Maintaining one’s balance requires core strength, she said.

Breezy Hinojosa is new to paddleboarding, but as a personal fitness trainer and Zumba instructor she recognizes the value of the discipline.

“Paddleboarding is incredibly effective,” said Hinojosa, 28. “On the water you work not only the larger muscles but also the smaller interior stabilizers.

SHAUN STANLEY/Durango Herald
Ingrid Foutz , right, leads her fitness class on stand-up paddleboards through a yoga move in the smooth waters of the Animas River upstream from the 32nd Street put in. To Youtz’s left is Breezy Hinojosa and Lisa Hollenbeck.

SHAUN STANLEY/Durango Herald
Ingrid Foutz , right, leads her fitness class on stand-up paddleboards through a yoga move in the smooth waters of the Animas River upstream from the 32nd Street put in. To Youtz’s left is Breezy Hinojosa and Lisa Hollenbeck.